"Hunt you down"

[geheimrat]

A faculty member at my community college who is in charge of collecting final exams for a large course sent an email out to faculty teaching that course containing end of the semester reminders.  As part of the email he said "please remember to turn in the final exams so that I don't have to hunt you down next semester to get them."  Another faculty member in my department complained about phrase "hunt you down".  This email was fairly long and when I was told that someone complained about it I had to reread it about three times until I guessed what it was that was being complained about.  I never thought that this would be taken as a threat. Is this a phrase that should be avoided, or is the faculty member who complained being overly sensitive?

[Hegemony]

I vote for overly sensitive.  But I can also see why the faculty member is reminded of certain things — viz. campus shootings — by it.  I think it behooves the faculty member to let it go, and it's not clear from your post how vociferous the protest was.  If they just said, "Ooo, I don't like that phrasing," I get it.  If they tried to complain to HR, that's over the top.  Meanwhile in this climate I think maybe "hunt you down" is unwise as a first choice of metaphor.

[Parasaurolophus]

I vote for overly sensitive.  But I can also see why the faculty member is reminded of certain things — viz. campus shootings — by it.  I think it behooves the faculty member to let it go, and it's not clear from your post how vociferous the protest was.  If they just said, "Ooo, I don't like that phrasing," I get it.  If they tried to complain to HR, that's over the top.  Meanwhile in this climate I think maybe "hunt you down" is unwise as a first choice of metaphor.

I agree on all points.

'Track you down' seems like the natural alternative, but it has pretty much the same connotations, although perhaps it's slightly less obvious. 'Run you down', too. 'Hound you', too.

[fishbrains]

I vote for overly sensitive.

And you should get the exam collector an Elmer Fudd outfit in which to hunt down those wascally pwofessors.

[Wahoo Redux]

Should have said, "Don't make me kick your a**!"

[aside]

Overly sensitive.  One could say "come find you."

[polly_mer]

Overly sensitive.  One could say "come find you."

But that doesn't provide the same connotation.  I agree with overly sensitive and wonder about focusing on the exact words instead of the point of "You will turn it in, either now or to the much more annoyed admin later".

[mahagonny]

A faculty member at my community college who is in charge of collecting final exams for a large course sent an email out to faculty teaching that course containing end of the semester reminders.  As part of the email he said "please remember to turn in the final exams so that I don't have to hunt you down next semester to get them."  Another faculty member in my department complained about phrase "hunt you down".  This email was fairly long and when I was told that someone complained about it I had to reread it about three times until I guessed what it was that was being complained about.  I never thought that this would be taken as a threat. Is this a phrase that should be avoided, or is the faculty member who complained being overly sensitive?

They are probably overly sensitive but it might be a useful heads up in today's unfortunately scary world to advise people to be more careful with slang, more so if you were communicating with students.

[writingprof]

At my religious college, our administrators don't say "hunt you down."  They say "send you to hell."  No complaints so far.

[Caracal]

Anybody who would complain about that is just looking for things to be upset about and is, almost certainly, a huge pain in the ass in a variety of other ways.

[mahagonny]

At my religious college, our administrators don't say "hunt you down."  They say "send you to hell."  No complaints so far.

Certainly sounds Christian.

[geheimrat]

If they tried to complain to HR, that's over the top.  Meanwhile in this climate I think maybe "hunt you down" is unwise as a first choice of metaphor.

I'm not sure if they complained to HR, but they did complain to the department chair. 

[geheimrat]

Anybody who would complain about that is just looking for things to be upset about and is, almost certainly, a huge pain in the ass in a variety of other ways.

The faculty member who complained has been teaching here for less than a semester and the faculty member that they complained about was on their hiring committee. 

[writingprof]

The faculty member who complained has been teaching here for less than a semester and the faculty member that they complained about was on their hiring committee.

Now that's what I call a failed search.

At my religious college, our administrators don't say "hunt you down."  They say "send you to hell."  No complaints so far.

Certainly sounds Christian.

Oh, snap.

[simpleSimon]

Anybody who would complain about that is just looking for things to be upset about and is, almost certainly, a huge pain in the ass in a variety of other ways.

This.